Mold dumping apparatus



A118 23 1932- w. l.. wooDY ETAL 1,873,096

MOLD DUMPING APPARATUS Fned oct. 1, 1929 s sheets-sheet 1 l VENTORS WaZion hfaod Aug. 23, 1932. w. l.. wooDY E'rAL i MOLD DUMPING APPARATUS Filed oct. 1, 1929 :s sheets-sheet 2 s S 7 l www mw l I l :Hl/ No@ R ,ll/l, EMT O w? IUJ A ne BA. .MDM g Aug. 23, 1932.

Filed Oct. 1, 1929 y o 25 o Z5 W. L. WOODY ET AL MOLD DUMPING APPARATUS s sheets-sheet 3 Patented Ang. 23, 1932 UNITED STA-TES PATENT ori-ica WALTON L. WOODY, OF SHAKER HEIGHTS, AND RANNEY J. THOM2SON, OF EAST CLEVE- LAND, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO NATIONAL MALLEABLE STEEL CASTINGS GOM- ?ANY, CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO vMOLD DUMPING APPARATUS Application led October` 1, 1929. Serial No. 396,474.

This invention relates to molding operations and is more particularly concerned with the dumping of molds to release the castings contained therein. It has heretofore been the practice to dump the molds by hand upon their arrival at the dumping station, two or more attendants being frequently required for this purpose. We have provided for the automatic dumping of the molds. Our invention enables the dumping to be effectively and expeditiously carried out as the molds are conveyed to the dumping station, and eliminates the necessity and expense of dumping the molds manually. Another feature of the invention resides in provisions whereby any molds that have passed the pouring station without receiving the molten metal employed for casting are not dumped. In addition we provide for counting the molds dumped by the automatic ,dumping means so that an indication may be obtained of the tot-al'number of said molds. Other features of the invention will be hereinafter described and claimed. Y

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevatlon of a portion of a mold-conveying apparatus to which has been applied an embodiment of our invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Flg. 1'.

Fig. 3 is a view of said structure, partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section, and

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 1 -4 of Fig. 1. Y

Referring to the drawings, there is shown at 5 a portion of an endless conveyor adapted to carry a series of molds. Conveyors of thisl type are employed in foundries for receiving molds at a mold forming station and conveying said molds past a pouring station, where the molds receive the molten metal to be cast and thence to a dumping station, where 'the molds are'removedV from the conveyor and dumped by hand. The co veyor comprises an endless chain and is engared by a sprocket -wheel ona shaft 'Z operated by an suitable means for driving the conveyor. s shown, the shaftv 7 may be driven from a power Athe molds we have showneach of the shaft through bevel gears 8, 9. Extending upwardly from certain of the links of the conveyor chain 5 are the studs 10, each pair of said studs passing through and being secured to a corres onding one of aseries of plates 11.A The atter, in traveling to and from the sprocket wheel 6, rest upon inner and outer rails 12, 13, respectively. Said rails are mounted on a. suitable supporting frame work. The inner rails 12, as be seen from Fig. 2, terminate short of said sprocket whee The conveyor is driven in the direction of the arrows in Fi 2. As each plate 11, traveling to the left in the rails 12, it asses onto an annular rib 14 upon the sproc et wheel 6, .which rib performs the function of an inner rail during the passa e of the plate 11 over said sprocket wheel. imilarly as each plate 11 leaves the sprocket wheel 6 and travels to the right in Fig. 2, it moves out of contact with rib 14 and returns onto the rails 12. The out/er rails 13 extend around the sprocket wheel as shown.

To provide for the automatic dumping of plates 11 provided with a pivotally mounted mold receiving or carrying plate 16. A hinge 17I connects each mold carrying plate 16 withy a corresponding supporting `late 11.4 Proecting upwardly from eac plate 16 is, a

l racket 18 having a bearing portion 19 into which a stem 20 carrying a roller 21 is ada ted to be removably inserted.

ig. 2, leaves` ounted adjacent the sprocket wheel is a track-way 22 of inclined or-cam formation.

As shown, said track-way comprises two sections, 22', 22, each-extending upwardly and forwardly, which sections meet at their upper and outer ends, where the are securedto abracket 23. The' lattenmay sup orted from a bar 24 projecting outwardly crossbeam'25, which cross-beam extends over sprocket vwheel ,6 and is mounted on supports 26, -27 on opposite sides of the conveyor chain. The lower outer ends of the cam track sections 22', 22,- respectively may be supported on brackets 28, 29secured to bars 30, lpdepending from nthe beam 25. Said supportin bars 30, 31 may be rigidly Connected at t eir lower ends by a cross bar 32. The trackway 22 is so positioned as to be engaged by the rollers 21 of the respective mold carrying plates 16 as the latter travel with the plates `11 on the conve or 5.

rom the structure above described it will be seen that whenever a roller 21 of a plate 16 comes into contact with the trackway 22, the latter, as the travel of said plate continues, acts upon said roller to tilt said plate upwardly until, by the time the roller arrives at the highest point of the trackway said plate has been tilted sufliciently to dump the mold.

In Fig. 1, one of the plates 16 is shown tilted, the mold 34 thereon being shown sliding off said plate. Each of the plates 16 may be provided with a series of projections 35 for preventing the bottom boards 36 of the mold from sliding off said plate when the latter is tilted. It will of course be underi stood that the cope and drag members surrounding each mold are removed therefrom by an attendant at an intermediate point in the travel of the mold from the pouring station to the dumping trackway 22.

After the roller 21 of each plate 16 passes the highest point of the trackway 22 said roller rides down the trackway section 22", and by the time said roller leaves said section the plate is again in its normal horizontal position. The plate then continues its travel with the conveyor to the molding station, where it receives another mold.

Each of the rollers 21 may if desired be permanently secured to the respective bracket member 18. 'By mounting the roller stems 20 removably in said bracket members, however, We provide for the dumping of only those molds which have received metal at the pouring station. Any plate 16 which it not equipped' with aroller will not engage the trackway 22 and will not be tilted. In addition, we provide for counting only the molds that have received metalat the pouring station, or in other words, the molds that are dumped. Each roller stem is adapted, in passing the depending supporting bar 31, to actuate'an arm 37 for operating a counting mechanism contained in a casing 38 mounted on said bar. Said counting mechanism may be of any well known or standard construction and need not be here described, it vbeing sufficient to note that said counter is operated each time that a plate 16 equipped with a roller. stem 20 passes by the operating arm 37. The counter is of course'provided with the usual indicating. dials so that the total member ofvroller-equipped plates 16, which pass onto the trackway 22 may be noted at any time. It will thus be seen that if only those plates which carry molds that have received metal at the pouring stationbe proh vided with rollers 21, those molds which did not'receive metal for casting will neither-be counted nor dumped and will be preserved so that they may be filled upon returning to said station. At the same time, only those molds which have received said metal will be counted and dumped. 'The attendant charged with the duty of removing the cope and drag elements surrounding the molds may also see that only those plates 16 carrying molds that have received metal at the pouring station are .equipped with rollers.l It will thus be seen that we have provided, not only for the automatic dumping of the molds, but also for the dumping of only those molds that should be dumped and that we have furthermore provided for counting only the molds that are dumped. One advantage of our provisions for counting the molds is that a-check is thereby afforded upon the total number of molds formed by the molders. l

The roller stems 20 may be retained in the bearings 19 of the respective brackets 18 either frictionally or through any common form of detent or retaining means, such as a spring pressed ball engaging an aperture in the stem and yielding to permit withdrawal ing passed the pouring station without 'being filled. We have not deemed it necessary to show either the mold forming station or the pouring station since said stations and their relation to the endless conveyor for the molds is well known in the art.

The terms and expressions which we have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and we have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any mechanical equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that various structural modifications are possible, within the scope of the invention claimed.

What we claim is: l

1. In combination, a traveling conveyor,

means on said conveyor for carrying various rives at a given point in the travel of the conve or.

2. n combination, a traveling conveyor, means on said conveyor and movable therewith for carrying a separable mold and cam means lfor automatically operating said carrying means to dump the mold when the latter arrives at a given point in -the travel of the conveyor. l

3. In combination, va travelingl conveyor,

tiltably mounted mold supporting means car-,HU

ried by said conveyor, and means for automatically tilting said supporting means transversely of said conveyor to dump the mold when the latter arrives at a given point in the travel of the conveyor.

4. In combination, a conveyor, mold supporting means on saidconveyor, an element inclined with respect tothe path of travel of said conveyor and mounted adjacent thereto, and means on said mold supporting means cooperating With said inclined member for effecting dumping of said mold during the travel of said conveyor.

5. In combination, a donveyor, mold supporting means on said conveyor," an element inclined with respect to the path of travel of said conveyor and mounted adjacent thereto, and displaceable means carried by said mold supporting means and cooperating with said inclined member when appropriately placed for effecting dumping of said mold during the travel of said conveyor.

6. In combination, a' conveyor, tiltably mounted mold supporting means on said conveyor, an element inclined With respect to the path of travel of said conveyor and mounted adjacent thereto, and means von said supporting means cooperating with said inclined member to eiiect tilting of said-supporting means for dumping said mold during the travel of said conveyor.

7. In combination, a traveling conveyor,

' mold supporting means tiltably mounted on said conveyor, means for automatically causing tilting of said supporting means relative to said conveyor for dumping said mold during the travel of the conveyor, and means for retaining the bottom element of the mold on said supporting means during tilting of the latter.

8. In combination, a traveling conveyor,-

mold supporting means tiltably mounted on said conveyor, means associated With said conveyor and cooperating with said supporting means for automatically causing tilting of said supporting means for dumping said mold at a predetermined point in the travel ofthe conveyor, and projections on said supporting. means for retaining the bottom element of the mold when said supporting means is tilted.

9. A mold dumping machine which comprises a continuously moving conveyor, mold supports carried by said conveyor and movable relative thereto, and means positionable on said supports forselectively controlling the movement of said supports for effecting selective dumping of the molds during movement of the conveyor.

10. A mold dumping machine which comprises a continuously moving conveyor, relatively stationary cam, mold supports ,carried by said conveyor and movable relative thereto, and means positionable on said supports adapted when properly 'positioned to cooperate with said cam to control the movement of said supports and thereby selectively eiect dumping of said molds during movement of the conveyor.

11. In. combination, traveling mold conveying means adapted to receive diierent molds, supporting means for said conveying means, and cam means associated with said conveying means including a part carried by the conveyor and a part carried by the conveyor supporting means for automatically causing the dumping of said mold in the travel of the latter past a predetermined pomt.

12. In combination, a conveyor, a support therefor, mold supporting means on said conveyor, and mold dumping means including an element displaceably carried by said supporting means and a member carried by the conveyor support, said element when in a certain position cooperating with said member for 'automatically causing the mold to be dumped at a given point in the'tra-vel of said conveyor. v

13. In combination, mold conveying means, means for automatically dumping molds carried by said conveying means, and means associated with said molds positionable at Will to determine the effectiveness of said dump,- ing means, whereby'saiddumping means may be controlled to avoid dumping empty molds..

14. In combination, mold conveying means, means for automatically dumping molds carried by said conveying means, means associ-` ated with the molds and positionable at Will in cooperative or non-cooperative relation to said dumping means, whereby said dumping means may be controlled to avoid dumping empty molds, and counting means operable by said lmeans associated with the molds for indicating the total number of molds dumped.

In testimony whereof, We have lsigned our names to this specificationwthis 28th day of September, 1929.

' VVALTON L. WOODY. A

RANNEY J. THOMPSON. 

